Kevin O’Connell makes significant additions to his staff that raise expectations heading into 2026

These coaching staff additions for the Minnesota Vikings are worth being excited about.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Nov 2, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith at press conference at the PSD Bank Arena.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After a tumultuous Friday within the Minnesota Vikings, when they fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t waste any time making improvements to the organization.

Despite a brutal 9-8 season that was extremely disappointing, there haven’t been any significant changes to the coaching staff. Defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Daronte Jones took the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator job, and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and offensive line coach Chris Kuper had their contracts expire and were not renewed.

Minnesota Vikings make multiple assistant coach hires

Saturday morning brought news that the Vikings made four important hires to their assistant coaching ranks. Assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter was promoted to offensive line coach, and the team brought in former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith as assistant head coach.

Carter was brought in ahead of last season to be Kuper’s assistant and bring some nastiness to the unit. Overall, it wasn’t a great unit, but Carter’s promotion sends a pretty strong signal that O’Connell believes that Kuper was the issue.

Adding Smith is fascinating. He was consistently mentioned as a target for the offensive line coaching spot. He spent four years as Mike McDaniel’s offensive coordinator and was the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2021. The interesting element is the addition of a more diverse running game. They haven’t given Smith the title of run game coordinator, but he will likely have some ideas to improve it significantly.

The defensive side of the football needed a couple of assistants as well. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores added a couple of talented assistant coaches, including Gerald Alexander as the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator, while former defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen replaces Marcus Dixon as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Alexander is a former player-turned-coach, selected by the Detroit Lions with the 61st overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played in parts of five seasons before going to the college level, where he coached for seven seasons. The Dolphins hired him as their defensive backs coach before he went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, where he coached for three of the next four years, including 2025. He worked with Joey Porter Jr., who took a significant step this past season.

Nielsen comes from a completely different style of defense, but he has a ton of experience as a defensive line coach, with 19 seasons in that role. He was the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, but was unable to keep those jobs because his head coach was fired. He was a senior defensive assistant for the Buffalo Bills in 2025.

These are particularly inspiring hires, especially on the defensive side of the football.

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